Crawford County and City of Prairie du Chien contract with V&A for Blackhawk Junction Plan

PRAIRIE DU CHIEN, WISC. (EXCERPTS FROM GUTTENBURGPRESS.COM): City of Prairie du Chien representatives gave a presentation to Crawford County officials about the Blackhawk Junction Mall at a joint County Finance/Delinquent Tax Committee meeting May 29.

City Administrator Chad Abram requested up to six months to work with county leaders to initiate a strategic development plan for Blackhawk Junction, which the county recently took ownership of due to foreclosure on the property.

Abram said Blackhawk Junction has strong development potential and the city will hire Vandewalle and Associates, an urban planning company based in Madison, for $8,500 to get a strategic plan in place as soon as possible.

“This property can be a catalytic development,” said Jim Bowman, the executive director of Driftless Development Inc., the economic development organization for Crawford County. “I’m confident this development can be something we all can be proud of. This can be an $8 million to $10 million development which can spark further development.”

Abram and Bowman said they would like to create a team consisting of city and county leaders to help layout the development plan.

The team will look at what the needs are for the four businesses currently a part of Blackhawk Junction Mall. He said the team will also encourage new tenants and look into possible housing development on the property. There are some minor environmental issues with the property and a site remediation plan will also need to be created.

The team can also look into potential uses for the property and potential grants. If all goes well, Bowman said the city would like to finalize a development agreement with the county and recruit developers.